WhatsApp payment links and WhatsApp Pay: how to get paid in chat

To take a payment on WhatsApp, create a payment link in Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal or Shopify and send it in the chat, or in a utility template with a Pay button. Native in-chat payments, often called WhatsApp Pay, exist only in a few markets, mainly India through UPI and Brazil. Everywhere else, a payment link is the way.

A payment link works on every phone, needs no setup from the customer and keeps the money with a provider you already trust. In-chat payments save a step, but only where Meta supports them and only after a developer integration.

WhatsApp payments differ by country and change often. This is the picture as of September 2026, with the source for each row.

Two practical points. In India, WhatsApp Pay runs on UPI, so paying inside WhatsApp needs an Indian (+91) number and a bank account that supports UPI; anyone else still needs a link. And the Payments API is a developer integration: WhatsApp carries the order message and the payment status, but your payment provider holds the money, and Meta's documentation tells businesses to confirm payments against the provider's records rather than rely on WhatsApp alone.

If you sell cash on delivery, confirm each order on WhatsApp before it ships. The order templates guide has COD confirmation messages, and COD confirmation shows the automated version.

Create the link in the tool that already handles your money:

• Stripe: create a link on the Payment Links page of the Dashboard and copy it. Adding a client_reference_id parameter to the URL ties the payment to an order or invoice when you reconcile.
• Razorpay: create Payment Links from the Dashboard or the API. Razorpay's Payment Links WhatsApp bot can also create one when you message it an amount.
• PayPal: go to Pay & Get Paid, then Create Payment Links and Buttons.
• Shopify: open Orders, then Drafts, open the draft order, select Share and copy the checkout link. When the customer pays, the draft becomes a paid order.

Then send it with context. A bare link looks like a scam; a link inside a message that says who you are, what it's for, the amount and the due date looks like an invoice. Keep links on your provider's domain or your own, and tell customers which one to expect.

Inside an open 24-hour conversation you can paste the link into a normal message. To start the conversation yourself, the link has to go in an approved template. Put the fixed part of the address in a URL button and the unique part in the variable: a Stripe link such as buy.stripe.com/abc123 becomes https://buy.stripe.com/{{1}}, with abc123 as the value. The customer sees a Pay button instead of a long URL.

• Order details messages (India and Brazil). An interactive message that works like an invoice, with items, amount and a pay action. Each one carries your own reference ID, and payment status comes back by webhook.
• India. UPI intent, where the customer picks a UPI app (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, Amazon Pay, CRED or Mobikwik), or a payment gateway (BillDesk, Razorpay, PayU or Zaakpay) that also takes cards, net banking and wallets. Meta's documentation limits UPI payments in this flow to ₹5,00,000 per transaction.
• Brazil. Dynamic Pix codes the customer pastes into their bank app, payment links, boleto and one-click offsite card payment.
• Everywhere. Utility templates with a URL button to your payment page. Outside India and Brazil, that's how WhatsApp business payments work.

The usual platform rules apply to all of it: customers must have opted in, and any message you start is a template billed per delivered message. WhatsApp Business API pricing explains the rates.

Asking for payment politely on WhatsApp comes down to four habits: lead with the facts (invoice, amount, date), make paying one tap, offer help rather than guilt, and send during business hours. Keep reminders factual. Meta rejects templates that threaten legal action or public shaming.

The first is a plain payment request message; the third is the gentle reminder most people need. Use the firmer ones only after a real delay, and keep one person's name on the thread so the customer knows who to talk to.

Reminders about the customer's own invoice, order or subscription are utility messages. Meta's own utility examples include a reminder that a monthly payment will be billed on a set date (template categorization). Three things push a reminder out of that category, or out of bounds:

• Promotions. 'Pay today and get 5% off your next order' makes it marketing. Keep reminders about the payment only.
• Sensitive data. Never ask for full card numbers, bank account numbers or ID numbers in chat. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy prohibits it, and Meta rejects templates that do. The last digits of a card are fine for reference.
• Threats and shaming. State the next step as a fact (a paused account, a released booking) and offer help instead.

Check your business type too. WhatsApp's Commerce Policy lists payday loans, paycheck advances, peer-to-peer lending and debt collection among prohibited categories, so third-party debt collection doesn't belong on WhatsApp. Reminding your own customers about your own invoices is a different thing.

On cost, utility templates are billed per delivered message at the rate for your customer's country. Utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour service window are free until September 30, 2026; from October 1, 2026, Meta charges for them too.

Payment scams on WhatsApp target both sides of the chat. These rules protect your customers and your business:

• A PIN is only for sending money. In India, a UPI PIN is never needed to receive a payment. Anyone who asks for one, or asks a customer to scan a QR code 'to receive a refund', is running a scam. WhatsApp's payments page also says it doesn't store your card or UPI PIN details.
• Never ask for OTPs, PINs or full card numbers, and say so in your business profile and greeting message: 'We will never ask for your PIN or OTP.'
• Don't ship on a screenshot. Confirm the payment in your gateway dashboard or bank account first. Fake 'payment received' screenshots and SMS messages are common.
• Send links from one known domain. Customers who know your links always come from your provider or your website can spot a fake.
• Protect the account. Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp, and limit who on your team can send payment links from your number.
• Report fraud. In India, call the 1930 cybercrime helpline or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Elsewhere, report it to your payment provider and local authorities.

Manual reminders get forgotten, go out at the wrong time or reach someone who already paid. Recoverly's automation builder, in the web app (early access), sends them as approved utility templates from your own WhatsApp number:

• Trigger each reminder from your billing or booking tool with a webhook, for example when an invoice is created or becomes overdue.
• Wait and check. Add waits from 15 minutes to 72 hours and conditions such as replied or tagged, so the next reminder stops for customers who answered or were marked as paid.
• Respect the clock. Quiet hours hold messages until morning instead of dropping them.
• Handle replies. Questions land in the shared inbox, where your team or the AI chatbot can answer them in the customer's language.

Templates use named variables like {{invoice_number}} and {{amount}}, come in eight languages, and go to Meta for approval from inside the app. Shopify stores also get COD confirmation, and a Razorpay integration is listed as coming soon on the integrations page. Automations start on the Lite plan at $19/month, integrations are on Pro, and Meta's per-message fees are billed at cost.